Okay, go ahead. Admit it. You know it's true, so just go ahead and say it: You like to write. You find joy in writing. You may even feel you've been called to write. The question is, why aren't you? Why aren't you writing?
I'll tell you why. You're afraid. I know…because sometimes I'm afraid, too. The truth is you and I and every other writer in the world experiences fear at times in our writing life. But what could possibly cause us to fear putting pen to paper or, as in most of our cases, fingertips to keyboard?
First of all, we're afraid of failure. I hope you'll go back and read my story of meeting the late Gary Provost at my very first writer's conference. It's a humorous look at failure through the eyes of a fearful wannabe writer.
Bottom line: We're afraid of rejections. And yet, as any working writer knows, the path to publication is paved with rejections. I know because I've had a few myself. As a matter of fact, I received 63 rejections before ever getting anything published! Sixty-three! I often wonder, What if I had stopped at 63? What if I had never sent the 64th query? Oh, I know it probably wouldn't have made much difference to the reading public, but I promise you, it would have made a huge difference to me. I can't imagine my life without these past 16 years of writing and learning and rejections and likeminded friends. What a joyful struggle it has been!
But we can be so fearful of failure that we fail to even try. And that, my friends, is the definition of true failure.
Believe it or not, the second point is we're afraid of success. Yes, you read right. We're afraid we won't be able to measure up to the expectations. What if we create a knock-‘em-dead proposal and get a contract? Then we'd actually have to write a book! What if we have a book published and then they want another one? What if I can't do it again?
Fear of success is the fear of failing to do it again.
Third, we fear the cost. We fear the cost of time, money, and energy. I was teaching at a writer's conference recently when a woman said, "But I'm 60 years old and haven't written anything. If I start now, it'll take at least a couple of years to write and rewrite a book, probably another year to get an agent, and another couple of years to get it published. By the time the book is published, I'll be 65 years old!"
"So," I said, "how old will you be in five years if you don't write the book?"
Yes, it costs to learn how to write. It costs money to attend conferences and buy books. It costs time to learn the craft and go through the process of writing, rewriting, and submitting. It costs energy that could be used to do other things.
But it also costs time, money, and energy to go to college, prepare for the future, and find the right mate in life. Good things in life cost something. Jesus makes that clear when He talks about the free gift of eternal life. (Luke 14:25-33)
And lastly, we fear transparency. Let's face it, much of our writing comes out of the hurts, the disappointments, the mistakes, and the losses of life. Our pain is often the source of compelling scenes and stories that captivate our readers. But that ability to connect with our readers through pain requires us to be real, to be willing to admit our failures and confusion, to be willing to remove our masks and let our true selves be exposed.
Even after all these years, I'm still afraid. Every time I write of my failures in life, every time I speak of them, this fear hits me again. Will they think less of me? Will they decide I have nothing to offer because of my failures?
And yet, it seems that it's at those times when I'm most vulnerable that God shows Himself most powerful.
When we're fearful, we can find comfort from the words of our Father, written for all eternity in the pages of His book. Here are but a few:
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10
"And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace." (Paul speaking) Acts 20:22-24
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Romans 8:18
God has a plan for our writing. And whether it's to be a multi-published author or one who simply writes of His love on the pages of a journal, if we truly feel called to write, we must. We must rise above the fear and walk in obedience. And at the end of our lives, we-like Paul-will be able to say,
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7
Fear not!
(Today's Never Fail photos are courtesy of Holy Experience, an incredibly beautiful site of words and images created by my new friend, Ann Voskamp. I hope you'll check out her site. I know you'll be blessed by it!)
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And the winner is…
The winner of Sharon Fawcett's book, Hope for Wholeness: The Spiritual Path to Freedom from Depression is…Glenda!! Congratulations! Glenda, contact me with your snail mail address and your book will be on the way!
And thank you to all who wrote such heartfelt words about struggles with depression, whether your own or someone else's. I hope you won't let this opportunity pass you by. Get your copy today.
And thank you, Sharon, for your transparency in writing this book. Your honesty has already allowed lives to be changed.
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Call for Kudos!
It's that time again! Let us celebrate God's blessings on your writing and speaking. If you've had an article, devotional, script, or anything else published (or gotten the word that it'll be coming out), received a book contract, had a book come out, signed with an agent, gotten a new website, started a ministry, or any other peice of good news, I ne
ed to hear from you this week!
Please include your state and any links to books, articles, your website. We want to celebrate together!
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And now, as we meditate on the call and the fear and the need for transparency, let's remember the testimony of the woman at the well. She didn't have a doctorate degree in theology. She'd never studied the subject of apologetics. But after meeting Jesus, she couldn't keep quiet.
Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" They came out of the town and made their way toward him…Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did." John 4:28-30, 39
I pray God's blessing on the work of your hands and your hearts,
Vonda
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I took one last look in the mirror, then touched up my lipstick, primped my hair, and brushed my teeth…again. Everything had to be perfect! After all, I was having dinner with an editor from a major CBA house and a well-known author, also with a major publisher. I whispered a prayer for direction and discernment. I should have prayed for bigger hands.
life can be used. Of course, Seeing Through the Lies, my women's non-fiction, includes many stories openly taken from real life. After all, people relate to our stories first, then they're open to hearing the truth they need.